Pretty Faces in Pretty Frames
by TroisFoisLeCharme
Summary: Hermione Granger returns to Hogwarts with her best friends in tow. However, her deepest secrets and insecurities soon surface, pushing the Golden Trio apart as the year progresses. She finds comfort in the soft click of frozen moments offered to her by one of the last people she would have imagined, if not for the one reason she made it through the war. HGxTN, HGxDM.
1. The Return

**AN: **So...I don't really have a whole lot to explain about this story, mainly because it has just grown into a little beastly thing. I have a direction I want to steer it, but I'm just going to let things flow for now. The rough outline will make itself known shortly, dear readers...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own J.K. Rowling's creations, I merely use them as puppets in my imagination.

* * *

"It's not like thinking about it is going to solve it." Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, right, left, right, swivel, left, right, left, pause. "No, nothing will come of thinking about it. It was a simple gesture." Pacing resumed, threads of the rug beneath socked feet being pushed in opposite directions. "Thinking about it will only lead to disaster. It just…never happened. Never. Happened."

A long sigh of defeat echoed across the empty stone chamber.

"It so happened."

* * *

It was their final year, their last hurrah in the rubble of a school they had all cherished so much. Magic had been futile in numerous attempts to restore the grandeur of Hogwarts, but the castle had taken too much of a beating from Dark spells and enchantments. The courtyards were nearly destroyed, towers left gaping holes in the castle's façade, but still students swarmed the Great Hall with smiles on their faces as the sun streamed through cracked stained glass.

"I can't believe we're actually back." Hermione Granger clung to the arm of Harry Potter as they crossed the threshold of the Great Hall, her eyes drinking in the familiar sights and strange battle scars of the school. "It's so surreal."

"It feels odd, to have just finished a war, but be back expecting classes." Harry turned to Ron Weasley, whose face had crumpled at the mention of academics.

"Can't even let a bloke enjoy a good month or two off, can you?" Ron groaned as they sank onto the seats at the Gryffindor table, its meager scarlet and gold tablecloth looking even more faded than before. Hermione just smiled and straightened her skirt to lay flat against her thighs. "I don't bloody buy it. Why'd they let this lot come back?" Ron gave a pointed glare to the string of Slytherins entering the Great Hall, timidly taking their places at their dining table.

"It's not their fault, Ron." Harry said softly, sipping a glass of pumpkin juice. "They are just children, after all."

"There are few distinct non-children." Hermione whispered audibly, her eyes drawn to the much larger figures at the back of the Slytherin formation. "Seventh Years."

"I'll kill him." Ron had risen to his feet, but his anger cowered beneath the warning glares of Harry and Hermione. "Bleeding hearts, that's all you are. Malfoy nearly got all of us killed, if you don't remember!"

"And he almost died too, so sit down." Hermione argued hotly, her knuckles glowing white against her skin. Harry placed a calming hand on her arm and she exhaled slowly, shooting one last glance over her shoulder at the man across the Great Hall. "And his name is Draco."

* * *

He could feel the pity seeping from every pore around him. People in his house were sneaking uncertain glances at him when they thought he wasn't looking, trying to fit him into the puzzle that was the disembodied Seventh Year class. He was supposed to be, had risen to be, and by all accounts held all rights to be the leader of Slytherin House.

But he was a coward, a weakling, and a coddled mother's boy. He was nothing compared to the boy he had been before, he knew nothing now of fame, power, or glory. He was disgraced, disowned, and disgusting. His family had been shunned, cut off from the affluence they had known for so long. His father had given up, resorting to a life locked away in his ivory mansion where he wandered as aimlessly as the albino peacocks on the front lawn. His mother, tormented by the smell of death forever lingering in her nostrils, took to the spirits with a passion, glassy eyes reliving the horrors of dead children strewn across a courtyard at the feet of their old master.

He was plagued by nightmares, fever sweats, and the paranoia of someone constantly trying to catch him. He knew his old master had been defeated, swept away in the wind as pieces of ash, but he could feel that face hovering right behind him, those eyes boring holes into the back of his skull. He could feel the cool lips whispering words of doom against the flesh on the nape of his neck. His service haunted him wherever he went, his entire body chained to a past he wished he had never lived.

"Didn't expect to see you back here." Theodore Nott slid into the seat beside Draco Malfoy with the same exhausted expression. "Mother told me you weren't coming back."

"I had to choose the lesser of two prisons." Draco mumbled back, propping his elbow on the table while sipping from his goblet. His eyes swept the room, locking in on the triumphant trio. Something inside him shuddered and he looked away, the feeling of self-hatred creeping into his cranium once more.

"Well, cheers." Theodore lifted his goblet to clink lightly against Draco's. "Looks like we have the run of the roost."

"It's all yours." Draco lifted gracefully off the bench and, in a swirl of robes reminiscent of his godfather, strode from the Great Hall. His feet carried him across the small piles of rubble at the tops of staircases, past the towers gutted by spells, through doors that had been blown off their hinges. He climbed steps that had cracked or were missing chunks, finally reaching his place of solitude. He sank onto the wooden floor, leaning against the cool stone column behind him as the wind brushed his hair from his face. Even he could appreciate the irony here. This was where he was supposed to kill Dumbledore.

A prison within a prison.

* * *

"This is perfect." Harry grinned as he stretched out on the couch in their Common Room. "Only four classes a week, with every Friday off!"

"The schedule is nowhere near strict enough." Hermione whined as she stared unhappily at the five books in her bag. "I had expected a little bit more than this."

"Oh hush." Ron swatted at her shoulder and cheerfully bit into a biscuit. "I'm with Harry. Four classes is amazing."

"I guess they are low on staff." Hermione mused as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And there aren't many Seventh Years."

"Just fourteen, I believe. Hufflepuff brought back six. That's unbelievable." Harry shook his head and sighed. "Slytherin has just the two."

"Nott and Malfoy. Can't believe either of them bothered to show their faces here again." Ron snarled. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Nott's the only one alive from his family and Malfoy is the only one with a working brain right now in his. Honestly, you two should read the Daily Prophet more, even if it's about them." Hermione got up from the couch, gathering her books and moving to the stairs that led to the room she no longer had to share. "And stop being so insensitive. You're not the only people who lost a loved one in the war."

* * *

**AN: **Please be kind and leave a review...


	2. The Invite

**AN:** The first few updates will be quick because I have already written them out...

* * *

Her pillow caught more saline that year than ever before. It was harder going through the motions without a majority of the school. She was used to the bustle of underclassmen in the hallways, the cries of friends meeting for a free moment in the stone corridors. Now, shoes echoed down empty halls, faint whispers died in the midst of rubble, and most students kept their eyes downcast. It wasn't bright, cheery, or anything like the Hogwarts of her past. It was cold, a place where warmth and happiness went to die.

A month after being there, dragging herself through the days in and days out of walking the same paths, she had had enough. She began her project, a small window garden that hung out of her tower. It was a simple planter, with a small assortment of flowers. She tended to it daily, talked to the breaking buds as she watered them with care. They became her refuge, like Harry's dark poetry and Ron's book of half drawn nightmarish creatures. Each hour she spent looking after the growing flowers reminded her of a possibility, an opportunity that could always be lurking somewhere just in the distance.

And it was a Friday when she caught a glimpse of that opportunity.

"Have you started the project for Arithmancy yet?" She was making polite conversation with Terry Boot, one person who hadn't completely shut himself out from the small huddle of Gryffindors.

"I haven't. I was going to ask a few more questions of Vector before I did. Some of this doesn't add up yet." He replied quietly, not even glancing up from his notes as he scribbled a few numbers and symbols onto his parchment. Hermione sighed and walked away from the table. Normally she was the one being asked about projects, not doing the asking. She had the rest of the day off, and her planter had started going wild on her. She hugged her books to her chest, her chin settling against the top of a copy of Hogwarts: A History as she climbed the stairs to Gryffindor tower.

"Granger!" An unfamiliar voice called out to her from a few floors down and she peered over the railing, watching as a neatly combed head of hair bobbed up the staircase three floors below. As it got closer, Hermione felt her entire frame go tense when she realized it was Theodore Nott. They had never exchanged words in their student lives, and only once had she seen him after the war, at the trial of several named Death Eaters. He had testified against his family, friends, and schoolmates with a stoic expression, and had left the courtroom with a simple nod towards Harry.

"Nott."

"Please, Theo." He brushed off her greeting and took a second to catch his breath, looking down the space between them. He stood a good head and a half taller than her, even though Harry had been swearing she had grown a few inches since the end of the war. Hermione resettled the books on her hip, waiting for him to continue. "This is going to be a slight bit weird, so I understand if you choose to decline, Granger."

"Hermione." She offered the same courtesy back to him and he smiled graciously, whetting his lips before he went on.

"I'd like to have dinner. With you. Tomorrow, if possible." His cheeks tinged red beneath the freckles that dotted under his eyes and Hermione tried to fight off the telltale warmth spreading across her face as well. "Not romantically or anything, I just think both of us are long overdue for a night out and I haven't gotten a chance to really sit and talk, just to have a conversation-"

"The Three Broomsticks will be just fine, Theo." Hermione interrupted him softly, a shy grin forming as she turned to leave.

"Seven?"

"Lovely." She waved a goodbye at him and continued on her way, her nerves shaking. She hadn't been asked out in years, at least not since she and Ron had fallen apart weeks after Fred's burial. Neither one of them could provide the emotional support necessary for the other, and they decided, on Harry's intervening, to remain friends, but nothing more. It had broken Ron, but in a way Hermione gained a sense of freedom that she had not tasted since she had become friends with Harry Potter.

* * *

"Heard you're going to dinner with Nott tomorrow." Ron grumbled over the top of his sketchbook. Hermione hummed her answer as she plopped into the plush armchair by the fireplace, her legs draped over one armrest as she flipped open a book. "I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time."

"We're going merely to enjoy civil and stimulating conversation."

"I'm sure he'll just be hoping for a stimulating conversation." Ron mocked, rolling his eyes before applying his pencil to paper. He drew a short line and then stopped, dropping his equipment to stare openly at Hermione. "Do you fancy him?"

"Ronald, we agreed to be open minded about this."

"He's the son of a Death Eater. I don't trust him and neither should you."

"He testified against his own father, how dare you hold him in prejudice."

"Just because he gave testimony doesn't clear him of being a bad person!"

"You only think he's bad because he's actually taking me out." Hermione snapped, letting out a sniff of disapproval. "You shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions."

"And you shouldn't be so quick to forgive and forget." Ron removed himself from the couch before Hermione could answer. His words lingered for a moment and Hermione sat still, closing the book and pulling her knees to her chest. Harry found her in the same position nearly twenty minutes later when he returned from his rendezvous with Ginny.

"Again?" He sighed and sank to the floor in front of Hermione's chair. She didn't bother responding. "I heard about the dinner. I think it's a good idea."

"Mhmm."

"Hermione." Harry looked up at her and she met his eyes, her lips curling on their own at how unchanged his eyes were. All he had been through, yet he kept those innocent emeralds as bright as ever. "Don't worry yourself on Ron. He'll learn to let go eventually. You need this. You've been keeping yourself locked away."

"He's right, you know." Hermione whispered as Harry grabbed one of her hands in both of his. "I don't let things settle before I jump ahead."

"But it's your beautiful flaw." Harry squeezed her hand and stood, inviting her to do the same. "And speaking of beautiful, you need some beauty sleep."

"Harry!"

"I can't in good conscience send you off to dinner tomorrow with one of Wales' most eligible bachelors looking like one of Crookshanks' hairballs." Harry teased. Hermione laughed her way up the steps to her room, opening her tower window to tend to her planter when she saw a small bit of movement on the edge of the lake. She paused, squinting a tiny bit to try and get a better look. It was nearly midnight, no one in their right mind would be anywhere near the lake at this hour, but there was someone there. Hermione frowned and went back down to the Common Room.

"Harry?" She lightly padded over to the couch where Harry sat, pen poised over parchment. "Who's at the lake?"

"Malfoy." Harry answered calmly. "He goes every night. Says it helps him think, clears his head."

"You've spoken with him?"

"Sure I have. He's basically me, but on the other side." Harry sighed heavily and took off his glasses, rubbing his fingers over his eyes for a few seconds. "He's not a bad bloke."

"What's he doing out there?"

"Inviting the giant squid to brunch." Harry snorted. "I have no idea, Hermione, why don't you go ask him?"

* * *

He truly had no reason to go to the lake at night. It made him calm, yes, and he loved being near water, but this was different. The lake was quiet, smooth, and no one was here to bother him. Only two people knew he came here at night. He lived with one, and he had reluctantly told the fact to another. Draco sighed and picked up a flat stone, spinning it in his palm a few times before flicking it over the water, satisfied as it skipped four times and sank beneath the surface. His expression soured, however, when he connected the metaphor of the stone and his life in his head. He had been skipping across the surface, and now he had sunk.

"It's a bit chilly tonight." A voice broke the silence he was enjoying but Draco didn't mind Theo all that much. "You're going to be skipping rocks on ice soon enough."

"I'd prefer ice fishing."

"Indeed." Theo smirked and sat on the large boulder on the bank, one leg pulled close to his chest with an arm draped ever so casually over his knee. "Do you think we'll ever be normal again?"

"I'd hate it if we were." Draco mused, picking another stone from the ground. A few minutes of silence passed and then Theo cleared his throat suddenly.

"I've asked Granger to dinner." He announced shortly. Draco nodded a few times, flicking the stone over the water again. "I'm not sure why."

"Conversation. Pick her brain. Use hopeless pick-up lines that stopped working after we razed Amsterdam." Draco shrugged and watched the ripples fade into the shoreline. Theo chuckled, trailing off quietly. "Why?"

"I think she could make me feel again." Theo admitted softly, keeping his eyes fixed on the boulder he sat on. "She saved his life."

"She thinks faster than he does." Draco corrected. "Women like that are dangerous. I should know. I was raised by one."

"And what a sodding prick you've turned out to be." Draco's next stone was aimed at Theo's head good naturedly. The two shared a schoolboy guffaw, that familiar feeling of being at Hogwarts creeping into their bodies.

"Do you think she's right?" Theo cut their laughter short, bringing them both back to the moment at hand.

"In the head? No, not at all." Draco chuckled once more and then sighed, noncommittally shrugging his shoulders. "She seems fair. Decent. Obviously smart."

"I'm tired of living alone."

"Well she's not going to jump into that." Draco joined Theo on top of the boulder, folding his legs one over the other and putting his hands on his knees.

"How do you know?"

"I just do." Draco let the conversation end there, his eyes drawn magnetically to the tower on the far end of the castle, staring for a moment at the light left on.

* * *

**AN:** Please be kind and leave a review...


	3. The Beginning

**AN: **Just building a bit more on Hermione's past, there's a glimpse of what is going on in here...

* * *

"You're awful fidgety today." Harry eyed Hermione's foot as it swung back and forth off the edge of the couch, snapping the brunette out of her absentminded musings. Hermione just smiled and reached up to tug on a strand of hair that had fallen in her face. "Nervous about your date tomorrow?"

"It's not a date." Hermione huffed, pouting her lips. "I just…It's…"

"It's a date, Hermione, regardless of how he phrased it." Harry chuckled and put his quill back to the poem he had been working on. "I've seen how he looks at you in between classes."

"What?" Hermione sat up straighter and stared at Harry. "Harry, what are you talking about?"

"Hermione." Harry sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing the corners of his eyes. "You have no idea. He gives you the same hopeful looks that Ron gave you for six years."

"But Harry-"

"All I'm saying is be careful." Harry put his glasses back on his nose, pushing them up to their proper resting place with one finger. "We all need a little hope right now, but just be careful where you let that hope grow."

"You, Harry Potter, are wise beyond your years." Hermione murmured, crossing the Common Room and curling up beside him on the couch, her head resting lightly on his shoulders.

"Just as long as you don't fall in love with him. I don't think I could handle you consorting too heavily with a Slytherin." Harry joked, smiling as he resumed work on his poems.

He missed the tightened expression that made its way onto Hermione's face, her eyes suddenly sad and dark.

* * *

"I didn't imagine you to be a gardener."

"Not a gardener. It's just a passing hobby."

"Well, I'd be willing to bet they are some of the most well attended to plants ever to grace Hogwarts grounds." Theo praised Hermione as they waited for their entrees to arrive. "I gave up Quidditch."

"Oh why? You were quite good." Hermione took a small sip of some white wine Theo had ordered earlier, surprised to find she liked it. "I remember Harry hating playing after you joined the team, said you had unnatural speed and eyes like a hawk."

"Well I'm no Boy Wonder, but I was a fair Chaser." Theo allowed himself the small moment of pride, staring down at his nearly empty glass. "I gave it up right before the attack here. Flying just reminded me of being dragged on a mission of some sort. It got to the point that I locked all my brooms away."

"I see." Hermione felt like reaching over and giving the poor soul a hug, or at least attempting to comfort him in some way. "I didn't use magic for three months."

"And you survived?"

"Some of us were raised differently." She quipped lightly, sipping her wine again. Theo nodded back at her to acknowledge her point. "After Harry disappeared, before the trials, it just bothered me to think that I could just as easily fix my plumbing with a spell as I had killed someone. I made Ron hide my wand from me. I didn't want to be part of it anymore."

"So you hid from it too."

"Didn't we all?" Hermione countered quickly. "On some level, didn't we all give up something, hide from something, try to change something that we didn't like anymore?" Theo watched intently as she tried to clear her expression, but barreled right back into her previous tirade. "We were kids, just kids, and we were forced to see so much destruction and death in such a short amount of time, it just didn't make sense. It still doesn't. How can there be two sides so divided, so staunchly against each other that there is no compromise? How can someone bring children into the fray like that, throwing them into the killing before taking a step themselves? It ruined us."

"Some of us were quite cracked before we went in." Theo swirled the wine left in his glass before downing it. Hermione stared across the table at him, waiting until he met her eyes levelly. Neither one of them said anything or moved until their entrees were brought out.

Hermione decided his eyes were much like Harry's.

Just darker.

* * *

"I don't think this is a good idea." Hermione tried to keep her voice steady as she followed Theo down the staircase that led into the dungeons.

"You fought in the war and are afraid of a few Slytherins?" Theo teased as he pushed back the opening into their Common Room.

"That's not it at all." Hermione snapped back. "I just don't think we should be snooping around down here, alone."

"I live here, it's not exactly snooping." Theo pointed out logically, a haughty tone to his voice as he used his foot to nudge open the door to the room he shared with Draco. "Don't worry Hermione, I promise on my honor to stay four or more feet away from you at all times, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh please." Hermione snorted and sat gingerly on the edge of the four poster bed that was obviously Theo's. "You attempting to make any stupid move is the least of my worries. I'm more concerned about picking up some stowaway travelers in this mess."  
"We do not have any kind of infestation, if that's what you're insinuating. And it wouldn't be a stupid move, I prefer cool and calculated." Theo laughed and pulled out a large album from the bottom drawer of his desk, holding it out to Hermione. "It's a collection of some of the photos I've taken over the years here. I thought maybe you'd like to have a look."

"Of course." She flipped the album open, her fingers running along the edge of the first picture. "Second Year." A smile traced her lips as she stared at the moving picture of Theo, Draco, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Blaise Zabini all crowded onto one of the dark couches in the Slytherin Common Room.

"I didn't get my first camera until then. My father was furious when he found out I had one, but I charmed most of the contraption to get the pictures to move, so he ended up not being too upset." Theo explained quietly as he scribbled notes onto a spare piece of parchment.

"You're all so…"

"Charming, devilish, handsome?"

"Young." Hermione ran a finger down the side of picture Blaise's face. Theo stopped writing and looked over at her. He got up and joined her on the edge of the bed, taking the album from her hands and turning a few pages ahead.

"Here. The last Quidditch scrimmage Slytherin ever had. We're a little more grown up."

"And not decent." Hermione pretended to turn away from the photos, but took back the album.

"We were sixteen and thought we were hot shit, give us a break."

"You're twenty and you still think you're hot shit." She laughed and watched the scene in the photo replay itself a few times. Theo gaped at her. "Yes I swear, stop staring please."

"I had no idea."

"Oh please, after putting up with-" She was rudely interrupted by the door swinging open suddenly, the wooden plank colliding hard with the stone of the dungeon wall. She visibly jumped, the album nearly falling from her hands. Theo turned to the door, one hand instinctively hovering by his right pocket.

"If I catch any more of those idiotic Fourth Years trying to stain that couch, I will flog them within inches of their pathetic little lives." Draco entered the room in an angry rush. Theo rolled his eyes and patted Hermione's shoulder, making sure she was still breathing. "Oh." Draco stopped short, one hand resting lightly on the door handle. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Interrupt what?" Theo stood and gestured to the album. "We were just going over pictures."

"Not those awful things. Really, Granger, you're letting him torture you with them?"

"I find them comforting." She answered quietly. He was much taller in person than she remembered. Their last true encounter had been during his father's trial.

_Darkness kept their secret better than they had hoped._

They had shaken hands afterwards, and he had congratulated her and the others.

_His hands, smooth and cold like the stone they kept her chained to, burned paths across her skin._

She had awkwardly tried to express her gratitude for his testimony, and he had just as awkwardly accepted her thanks.

_She had begged him to stay, to live warm and safe, to love. She opened her soul. He closed the gate._

He had seemed much smaller then, when his shoulders were rounded and hunched and his eyes were sunken into his face. Now, living off the feasts offered in the Great Hall, he appeared to have rebounded quite well.

"Right." Draco nodded tensely. "Well, if they get boring, there's a bottle of Ogden's hidden underneath my trundle, you're welcome to it." He made to leave, pulling the door shut, but Hermione caught the hesitation right before he shut the door completely.

"Well, anyway." Theo sat back down beside her, sharing the album between their laps. Hermione smiled and let him guide her through a few more pictures.

* * *

"You're spending an awful lot of time with him." Harry said suspiciously.

"He's witty, and intelligent. He keeps conversation well and doesn't talk just about himself." Hermione rattled off quickly. "He's nice. Charming, even."

"I see." Harry hummed lowly. "Charming. Nice."

"Yes. I didn't stutter."

"No, no you did not."

"What?" Hermione put her hands on her hips and stopped walking, demanding to know what exactly was on Harry's mind.

"Nothing, I'm merely pointing out that you seem to be completely wrapped up in each other and I find it cute." Harry taunted. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him but resumed walking. "Hermione, seriously. I think it's good you two are together."

"We are not together."

"Friends, frenemies, whatever you are."

"I like the term intellectual equals."

"Sure, if that's what you want to call it." Harry chuckled and playfully nudged her shoulder with his. "But I hear someone is making regular trips to the dungeon."

"There is nothing going on." Hermione said firmly, ending the discussion for the day.

* * *

**AN: **Please be kind and leave a review...


	4. The First Picture

**AN: **I apologize for the small delay, work got a little hectic. Hopefully this will make up for it.

* * *

"What's this one?" She pointed at a picture and Theo leaned over her shoulder, a smile gracing his features as he sank onto the bed behind him.

"That was the day Crabbe and Zabini thought it would be a great idea to get tattoos." Theo chuckled and folded his arms behind his head, reminiscing for a moment before telling the story. "See, Vince had gotten a little into the Muggle culture once he had bucked the whole Dark thing. Zabini, being the wisecrack and gambler that he was, bet Vince he wouldn't get a tattoo. And then he stacked the bet, saying that if Vince got a tattoo bigger than a Bludger, he'd get one too."

"So that explains the map of London on Crabbe's back." Hermione shook her head, amused. He placed the album on Theo's desk, moving over to Draco's side of the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for that Ogden's. It's been a good month since I've had a drink, I'd like one. You?" She asked as she got on her hands and knees to look under Draco's bed. Sure enough, a bottle sat within easy reach. She grabbed it triumphantly and popped the cork out, taking a quick swig. Hermione shivered at the crisp burn of alcohol and held the bottle out to Theo.

"Well, I can't let you outdo me, now can I?" He took the offering and allowed himself a few long gulps. She laughed and snatched the bottle back, swirling the liquid inside.

"If you didn't like that I constantly outdo you then perhaps you had better pay more attention in class." Hermione chuckled again when Theo's face contorted in an expression of exasperation.

"Oh please." He rudely tore the bottle from her hands before she could drink again, rolling his eyes. "I gave up on trying to best you academically years ago. That's Draco's game now. Or it was, you know, before everything….happened." The room fell oddly quiet, the only sound that of Hermione turning pages in the picture album and the occasional soft swish of the Ogden's inside the bottle. She jumped when Theo suddenly cleared his throat, his hands busying themselves searching through his bedside table. He soon produced a camera, holding it out to Hermione.

"What?"

"Let's go take some pictures." Theo stood and held out his free hand. Hermione couldn't help but smile and accept his invitation, her palm fitting neatly into his as they exited the room.

* * *

"Did you ever want to change the world?" They had just stepped into the Forbidden Forest, the last few moments of daylight sinking into the treetops and casting long filters of shadow and light across the forest floor. Hermione jumped lightly around the fallen trees, giddy with alcohol. Theo followed, occasionally snapping a picture if something caught his interest.

"Of course." Theo answered quickly, taking another gulp from the bottle and returning it to the pocket inside his jacket. "I wanted to be the next big Potions Master."

"Really?"

"No. I wanted to fight dragons." Theo laughed when Hermione gave him an unsure look. "I really wanted to fight dragons, I promise. But I had to settle for Potions Master."

"I wanted to join the Peace Corps." Hermione sighed wistfully and sank onto a moss covered log, waiting for Theo to find what he was looking for. "I was going to do missions in South America and Africa, make a real difference."

"That sounds like a drag." Theo snorted, kneeling beside an assortment of flowers and plants that had sprouted from beneath the log. Hermione held an expectant hand out for the Ogden's and he gladly passed it to her.

"It was supposed to be the best thing to do. My parents had joined for awhile in the eighties, but gave it up when Mother got pregnant." Hermione leaned down, plucking a single flower from its stem and twisting it in between her fingers. She took a sip of the firewhiskey and let out a long sigh, tucking the flower into her hair behind her ear. "They would have joined with me."

"My father got me potions sets every Christmas for as long as I can remember." Theo smiled and raised the camera, focusing in on her. She waved a hand at him and covered her face. "He wasn't a bad guy when he wanted to care. He loved my mother like she was the only woman on the earth. And just one picture, please."

"My parents don't even remember who I am, or that they even have a child." Hermione let out another sigh, this one longer than before as she dropped her hands from her visage, offering Theo a thoughtful glance for the one picture he desired. She continued after she heard the soft click of the mechanism. "I Obliterated their memories before the war."

"What in the hell for?"

"To protect them." She didn't feel the usual wave of sadness rising within her this time, almost as if she had gotten used to it. Hermione reached up and took the flower from her hair, pursing her lips as she spun it in her fingers again. She lifted the bottle of Ogden's once more to her lips, whispering her next words. "I didn't want them to worry about losing me. I just wanted them to live happily, together, for as long as they could."

"That was very…brave." Theo let the camera hang loosely from his neck, taking the firewhiskey from her grasp. He practically inhaled three mouthfuls, grimacing at the taste while he pocketed the bottle. "My father used to tell me that to die for Voldemort was the highest honor. And I bought the bullshit."

"But it was all you knew."

"Sadly, yes." It was Theo's turn to sigh, and he shook his head right afterwards. "This is depressing talk." He held out his hand again, pulling Hermione to her feet. "What kind of trouble do you Gryffindors get into on weeknights?"

"Trouble?" Hermione let out a musical peal of laughter and hooked her arm through his, pulling him back towards the castle. "My dear little Slytherin, you wouldn't want to know."

* * *

"How's your boyfriend doing?"

"He's not my boyfriend, Ron." Hermione looked up cautiously from the armchair where she was curled up with a book. Ron was more or less glaring at her from behind the couch. "We are just friends."

"Neville told me you stayed the night last weekend."

"We were up later than usual and I didn't want to walk back here alone."

"So you stayed."

"Yes, and if you must know, Theo slept on the couch. Now stop being a jealous ass and go away." Hermione buried her nose once more into the pages of her book, but kept a close listen for footsteps. Ron never moved.

"What's so wonderful about him?" Ron asked quietly. Hermione closed her eyes, waited, and then shut her book, laying it on her lap. "What makes him so different?"

"I don't know, Ron, but it's nothing serious. We just enjoy each other's company, both of us need a friend."

"A friend?" Ron sounded hurt, and his face mirrored the emotion in his voice. "You have friends, Hermione."

"But this is different." She tried to explain, but found that she couldn't. "We just…need someone else for a little while. We've wrung our friendship nearly dry, Ron. You have to see that too."

"Right." Ron nodded. "I wasn't aware there were limits on friendship."

"Don't."

"I won't." Ron shrugged and moved towards his room. "Does Harry know?"

"Know what?"

"That you're replacing us."

"I am not replacing you!" Hermione scrambled out of the chair, crossing the Common Room in four long and powerful strides. "I just need someone else right now. I feel like I have exhausted you and Harry, and Theo is a new face, someone else to listen to me. I can't ask the world of you and Harry, it can't be done by two people. Sometimes everyone just needs a new direction for a moment." With that, she put a hand on Ron's shoulder, squeezed gently, and walked away.

* * *

"I'd like to take a picture today." Theo announced as Hermione walked into his room.

"Naturally." She grinned and bounced on his bed while he spun in his desk chair.

"I'd like to take a picture of you." He stopped spinning and Hermione stopped bouncing, their eyes locking. "Nothing weird, just something to put in the album. Something to remember. The one I took last week in the forest doesn't do your character proper justice."

"Of course." She nodded, watching as he broke into a wide smile. "Where did you want to go?"

"I figured we could go outside to the lake. It's just cloudy enough that I think I could play with some lighting effects and get some good angles on you."

"You're the professional, lead the way." Hermione dramatically gestured to the door and followed Theo out, both of them laughing. By the time they reached the lake, they had made dinner plans for the next weekend, covered both of their topics for their Transfiguration essays, and argued about whether or not it was indeed possible to infiltrate the kitchens of Hogwarts.

* * *

**AN:** Please be kind and leave a review...


	5. By The Lakeside

**AN:** Pushing it along nicely, I will be building more on both relationships soon enough.

* * *

Hermione stretched languidly on the towel she had brought to the lakeside. It was an abnormally beautiful day outside on the grounds of Hogwarts, and she had every intention of soaking up the rays the sun had to offer. She had rolled up her jeans to her knees, baring her pale shins and calves to the world. The breeze had settled enough to allow her to remove her jacket, the sun dancing hotly across her shoulders.

"Good gracious you are a hard woman to get up with!" Ginny Weasley exclaimed as she plopped down beside Hermione. "I have been searching the entire castle for you, and here you are, sunbathing like some tourist on holiday."

"It would do you some good to sunbathe as well, you're translucent." Hermione rolled her eyes and slid over on the towel, allowing Ginny a little more room. Ginny shrugged and began rolling up her jeans to match Hermione's. "So tell me the latest gossip."

"Oh, I'm surprised you don't know. It involves you." Ginny shot Hermione a sideways glance, waiting for her brunette friend to dish first. Hermione just nodded and remained quiet. "Very well. Since you aren't talking. I heard from a couple birds in Ravenclaw that someone has been spending quite a few late nights in the dungeons, locked away in a certain someone else's boudoir."

"You make me sound like a traipsing harlot." Hermione snorted. "Boudoir. If only."

"So it's true then? You're shagging Theo?"

"Oh Merlin's pants Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "No!"

"Well, that's the rumor." Ginny rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. "I wouldn't blame you if you were, he's a catch."

"A catch?"

"Honestly woman." Ginny made a sound of exasperation. "Do you not look at the men you insist on surrounding yourself with?"

"Theo and I are friends, I have no romantic or lustful intentions."

"I swear you've been transplanted from the nineteenth century." Ginny groaned and raked a hand through her hair. "Well, either way, the budding rumor is now that you're intimately involved with not only Theo, but his roommate as well."

"Do these girls have nothing better to do with their time? They could be studying." Hermione pulled her hair into a quick and loose ponytail, wrapping her arms around her knees. She stared out over the water, allowing herself to bring bits and pieces of the memory she hated to surface.

_His skin was cold, colder almost than ice and snow, but his lips felt like a branding iron on hers. Fingers ran possessive lines over the curves of her body, drawing her closer to him. _

_ "Don't…stop." A soft plea was silenced by that fiery mouth again, drawing forth a whimper._

"Hermione?" Ginny poked the brunette's arm gently.

"Hmm?" Hermione shook her head, looking down at the other girl.

"You're crying. Is everything alright?"

"Yes." Hermione smiled and wiped under her eyelashes. "It's the sun, it's reflecting off the water." She forced out a laugh and looked over Ginny's shoulder at the sloping hill that led back to the castle. Ginny turned to follow her friend's gaze, both of them watching as a figure began to make its way towards them.

"Ah, lover boy." Ginny waggled her eyebrows mischievously when she recognized Theo and popped to her feet. "And this is where I depart. Enjoy your afternoon, don't get too frisky now."

* * *

"She didn't have to leave, you know." Theo said as Ginny trotted off towards the castle. Hermione shrugged and climbed to her feet, noting the camera in Theo's hands.

"Did you want to take pictures today too?"

"Only if you're up for it." Theo frowned a little and reached out, one finger wiping at her cheek. She turned her head, one hand furiously rubbing at her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just the brightness, I guess I've gotten used to the darkness of the dungeon." She joked, ignoring Theo as he stuck his tongue out at her. He softened, one hand resting gently on her arm.

"You're sure you're alright?" He asked once more. Hermione gave him a winning smile and nodded, allowing him to give her arm a careful squeeze. "Well then, I do plan on taking pictures, and you, Hermione, are going to be my subject. Climb up." He gestured to the boulder near where Hermione had previously been sunbathing.

"As you wish." She grinned and leapt up onto the rock, striking an exaggerated pose before cracking up into laughter. Theo shook his head and lifted the camera while she moved to sit down.

"Just look out and think about anything." He waited until she calmed down and when he saw the change in expression and attitude that suited the picture he wanted, he snapped it. "Can I try something?"

"Sure."

"Take your hair down. The breeze is nice enough, it should add some motion to the shot." Theo again waited until he saw what he wanted to capture in the picture and froze the moment in time. He shot a few frames in rapid succession, sometimes waiting for the right amount of cloud cover before focusing in on her face. When he was satisfied, he let the camera hang around his neck, hands deep in his pockets.

"Come on up." Hermione moved over on the boulder and patted the space beside her. He jumped up with ease and sat cross legged next to her, their knees gently touching. "The water is beautiful, it looks like something out of a painting."

"It does."

"Do you mind?" Hermione gestured to the camera and he handed it over. She took a few photos of the water and the surrounding landscape, then turned the focus on him and snapped one before he could object. He gave her a weird look and she blushed. "Sorry."

"I've never had my picture taken like that before."

"Well, you just looked calm." She turned to face the water again and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Theo leaned back on his palms, waiting for her answer. Hermione shook her head. "Something's up, you've gotten all quiet and ponderous, what's going on?"

"I'm just thinking."

"Obviously." Theo rolled his eyes. "What about?"

"Do you think there's a limit to friendship?"

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think there is only so much a friendship can be? Like, you can only be friends with someone for a certain amount of time, or until you've used them up emotionally?"

"No." Theo said decisively. "I don't think so, not on that kind of friendship. I think friendship is always a matter of give and take, and that when one trait outweighs the other, it's no longer a friendship."

"That kind?"

"Well sure. There are all different kinds." Theo sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "There's friendship that started at a time you can't remember. Friendship through trial and tribulation. Friendship through forced hardship. Every one of them is different and has their quirks."

"What is our friendship?"

"Forced hardship." Theo answered immediately. "You've seen things, I've seen things. Both of us have been through too much in the last few years. Neither one of us asked for it, but I think we made the best of it. I think getting to know you helped me understand a lot of what I didn't know before."

"I agree." Hermione nodded and shifted so she was sitting perpendicular to him, her right side to the water. "I think you've helped me understand why so many people followed something that I saw as wrong. It was all you knew." Theo made a low noise of agreement and they fell into a comfortable silence that lasted for several minutes.

"Hermione." Theo stretched his legs out in front of him and then folded them back, leaning his elbows on his knees again. He trained his eyes directly on hers, almost forcing her to look at him. Hermione waited for him to continue, listening closely to his shaky intake of breath. "This may sound odd, but I'd like very much to kiss you."

* * *

"You were gone all afternoon. I thought we were supposed to go into to Hogsmeade today." Draco didn't even look up from his parchment when Theo entered their room, so he missed the fleeting look of bliss that had passed over the other boy's face. "Get tied up with Granger again?"

"We just took some pictures." Theo set the camera down gently on his desk, his fingers lingering on top of the device for a half a second. "Hogsmeade?"

"It's too late now, we'd never make it back in time." Draco turned his parchment over and dipped the quill in ink, prepared to keep writing.

"So let's don't." Theo grabbed a heavier cloak from his wardrobe, draping it over his shoulders. Draco grinned and set his quill down, throwing his own winter cloak over his shoulders as he followed Theo out of their room to the back of the Common Room. They pushed aside the left half of the fireplace, sneaking quietly into the passage that would led them into the cellar of the Three Broomsticks.

They traveled in silence, one behind the other, until they reached the cellar door.

"She let me kiss her today."

"What?" Draco nearly tripped over one of the spare bottles in the passageway as he reached for the door above his head.

"Hermione, she let me kiss her. "

"I thought you said it wasn't going to turn into anything."

"I didn't think it was, but there's just something about her. She's grown on me." Theo smiled lazily to himself and followed Draco up the ladder. "She's not half bad, you know." Draco stopped for a moment, his mind reeling. He remembered the softness of her hand in his during their handshake, the look of pity and concern in her eyes as she commented on his father, and the small smile she had given him, one of hope, right before she had left the courtroom. He had thought about it for months, thought about what he could have said to her, or done, anything that would have had her stay just a minute longer. When he wasn't being paranoid about someone trying to catch him, he was thinking of ways to catch her.

"I know."

* * *

**AN: **Please be kind and leave a review...


	6. Unraveling

**AN:** Dearest readers, just to let you know that I am going to have to step up my game at work here for the next month or so, I'm picking up a few extra days to help out a few co-workers during the holidays. This means that, possibly, the updates may be few and far between for the next couple of weeks. I will try my hardest to keep up the pace, but just a heads up in case I seem to disappear without warning.

* * *

"I thought you said it wasn't like that."

"I know I did, but it just…it just happened." Hermione wrung her hands nervously in her lap. "Harry, if Ron finds out, he'll lose it."

"I know." Harry shook his head. "But I can't lie to him."

"I'm not asking you to, I'm just asking you to not say anything, necessarily." Hermione winced at the words leaving her mouth. Friends shouldn't have to keep secrets like this. "It was one simple kiss, I don't think it will turn into anything worse."

"You really believe that?" Harry questioned sarcastically, watching as Hermione bit her lip. "That's what I thought."

"It's not my fault, Harry." The snort and raised eyebrow she got in return called her out. "We've just…we're comfortable with each other and we both need this. Besides, he's not the worst person I could have picked."

"Well, I just hope you know what you're getting into." Harry stood from the table, nodding his head in the direction of the large double doors at the end of the Great Hall. "Care for a walk?"

"I would, but…" Hermione trailed off, looking almost apologetically at the Slytherin table, where Theo was waving her over wildly. Harry chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Harry!"

"Be careful, he looks completely smitten."

"Harry Potter, get pissed." Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly as she passed by, her lilting laughter letting him know she was still in a good mood. Harry pursed his lips, his eyes darting around the Slytherin table with a question. He watched the interactions, and the lack thereof, taking place at the table.

"Oh, dear." Harry let out a long and heavy sigh. He would know what furtive glances and nervous smiles constituted a secret.

And Hermione had a secret.

With Malfoy.

* * *

"What are we getting into here?" Hermione asked a week later, her hands settled on Theo's shoulders as they broke apart. He frowned down at her. "Where will this go?"

"I haven't thought about it." He shrugged and pulled lightly on the end of one of her curls. "I just enjoy it."

"I do too, but I don't know."

"Don't know what?"

"How to define what this is." She gestured between them and then stepped away, folding her arms over her chest.

"Why do we have to define it? Can't it just be two people that like being around each other?" Theo sat on the bed, toying with a loose string in the seam of his pants. Hermione sighed and went to join him, her head automatically tilting to lean against his arm. She felt his chin settle on top of her head and smiled.

"Fine. You win." She acquiesced. "Two people who enjoy each other's company."

"Good." Theo buried his nose into her hair for a moment, taking a deep breath before he stood. "Pictures?"

"It's my turn to take them." Hermione smiled when he handed over the camera, looping the strap around her neck and letting him take one hand to lead her from the room.

His hands were smoother than Ron's.

* * *

He was glad for the lack of political edge in the houses at Hogwarts now. All four houses worked together, more like a machine than groups of students. Weekends gave way to working on fixing the remains of the castle, and he threw himself into this project with a zest none had expected. He spent countless hours directing younger students, moving delicate glass with care, and even shouldering a few heavy bricks into place without the help of his wand. Draco Malfoy was putting Hogwarts back together.

"We were going to start on the library." Harry had walked over to where Draco was assessing a few splintered pieces of glass in the Great Hall. "Figured you might want to come."

"I'll be down soon." Draco nodded and began arranging shards of colored glass on the table behind him, pointedly ignoring Weasley. Harry had been easy enough to get along with, especially after Draco realized that Potter wasn't going to give up. Weasley, however, was another obstacle that Draco didn't want to tackle at the moment. He rather enjoyed having one not-so-friendly person in the school, it made him feel right at home. Draco missed the nod Harry gave to Weasley, a signal for the redhead to go on without him.

"You're not half bad, you know that, Malfoy?" Harry waited to gauge the blond's response. Draco stopped his work on the glass shards, hiding his hands.

"Are you trying to be friends with me, Potter?" Draco snarked cheekily, one golden white eyebrow arched in amusement.

"Hardly." Harry choked out the word but made himself comfortable at the table across from the Slytherin. "I just figured that you couldn't be too bad if you and Hermione share a secret."

"What?" Harry didn't miss the fleeting panicked expression that crossed Draco's face. The blond was quick to settle his emotions and replace his pale mask of indifference.

"I don't know what it is you two have to share with each other, but, if she trusts you…" Harry looked down at his lap and then cleared his throat. "I figure you can't be too bad." Harry watched as Draco blinked rapidly.

"What has she told you?"

"I just told you it was a secret." Harry smiled a little bit, unnerved at how calm Draco was trying to be. "She hasn't let anyone know. And neither have you, I'm assuming."

"No." It was a quiet whisper and his soft voice made something within Harry unsettle even more. "Not a soul."

"Understood." Harry knew well the warning in Draco's tone and eyes, standing from his seat. "I won't pry any further." He leaned down, both hands on the table until he had nearly invaded the blond's personal space. Green met silver levelly. "But don't think for a second, for a half a second, that if this secret is something that could hurt her, that I won't hunt you down."

* * *

"You've got that piece backwards." A gentle voice interrupted Draco's musings and nimble fingers quickly flipped the shard in question over. He looked up to see Hermione standing before him, a smile on her lips. "Would you like help?"

"I thought you'd be with Theo." She shook her head, swinging onto the bench across the table from him.

"He's working on a few projects and I wanted to get out of the dungeons." Hermione tucked her hair behind her ear, scooping a section of broken glass towards herself. Draco nodded and went back to his glass puzzle. "How's your year been?" Draco stopped, stunned. She knew exactly how his year had been, yet here she was, asking about it like nothing at all had happened. He folded his hands on the edge of the table, staring across the gap at her. He tried to think of a word, one single word that could sum everything up.

"Disappointing."

"Mine too." Hermione sighed and frowned as she rearranged a few pieces of glass. "Ron's not been right in the head ever since we broke things off, Harry's doing considerably well but he has his moments. I feel like nothing has really changed since we were last in school. I'm chasing them down, or trying to figure out what Ron's upset about, or guessing where Harry is at all hours of the night. It's mad, really."

"Sounds like."

"I am really sorry about your father." She looked up to say this, catching his eyes directly with hers. "We tried everything we could."

"I'd rather not." Draco cut her short and bowed his head again, focusing on the frail glass instead. Hermione paused, waiting for him to continue. For the next few minutes, they worked in silence, quietly trading pieces when necessary. Neither one attempted to make conversation with the other until finally Draco broke the almost uncomfortable quiet. "Potter knows."

"Excuse me?" Hermione hummed gently, waving her wand over her completed glass puzzle.

"He knows we have a secret." Draco didn't bring his eyes to hers, but he could feel that shade of cinnamon staring him down. "He didn't press for details, but he knows."

"What?"

"He approached me, this afternoon, just minutes before you joined me, actually." Draco now let himself meet her gaze, purposefully keeping his head slightly bowed. "Have you told-"

"No!" Hermione hissed sharply. "Why would I share that?"

"Are you ashamed of it?"

"Ashamed?" Her face contorted angrily. "Do you want me to be ashamed? Do you want me to regret it, to hate myself and you for it? You know I can't. I want to so badly, but I can't."

"Liar." That single word made her raise her head, eyes matching his furiously. She gripped the piece of glass in her palm tightly, cutting into her skin. Ice gray delved into her soul, dusting the cobwebs off the memory she had tried to drown in tears. She blinked first, fighting the sudden lump in her throat. It was rattling, how quickly he could get under her skin and shake her core until she was sure she would fall apart, melt into a puddle of helplessness at his feet. Her palm was bleeding, the distinctive copper scent creeping into her nostrils. It did nothing but spur her memories, flashes of alabaster skin colliding against her own pale flesh projecting in her mind too fast for her to stop them.

"Please don't do this." She whispered shakily. Her entire frame was shaking, betraying her will to stay resolved. "Not again."

"Do what?" He knew he was pushing her buttons, testing her to see how far it would go before she caved. He hated himself, the way he was created, the decisions he had so stupidly made. He wished he could take the words back, be less like his father, less cruel and more like he had been, once, in the dark, with her.

"Don't." Hermione stood abruptly, almost jumping back from him. She regained her confidence, a tiny shard of it, and leaned over the table much in the same way Harry had earlier that day, their faces mere inches from each other. "I can't give you everything."

"You already have."

* * *

**AN:** Be kind, my dears, and leave a lovely review for me...


	7. The Nightmare

**AN:** Here's another update, hope this suffices for some of you that have been wondering what's up with Hermione and Draco. I'll be expanding on it from here on out...as well as complicating other things.

* * *

She gripped the pillow to her chest tightly, her chin burrowed into the soft edge as tears burned trails down her cheeks. She wanted to hate him for their conversation, wanted to forget everything that had happened during that one messed up, mistaken evening. She sometimes hated herself for it.

_ "You're not a bad person."_

_ "Yes, I am." The clink of metal shackles as they fell from her wrist._

_ "Draco…" _

"Hermione?" She was broken from her daydream by a soft knock at her door. Ginny's head appeared around it and the redhead waited to be beckoned in. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes." Hermione wiped quickly at her eyes, tossing the pillow up the bed as she got to her feet.

"Harry was asking about you. He said he hasn't seen you all day."

"I'm fine, really." Hermione reassured her younger friend. "I'm just a little sentimental today, that's all."

"Hermione." Ginny said gingerly on the edge of Hermione's bed, one finger tracing the red and gold stripes of the comforter. "What is there that you aren't telling us?"

"Ginny, I…" Hermione bit her lip and shook her head. "I need my secrets. Please don't ask me to share them."

"It's getting to you." Ginny accused, caramel eyes worried as she watched the older girl pace tirelessly by the window. "I saw you talking to Malfoy today. Did he say something?"

"No." Hermione sighed and paused to look out the window, swallowing against the thick emotions building in her throat and chest. "He didn't say anything."

* * *

"Theo." It was a hissed whisper that woke him from sleep, one eye open as he rolled onto his back to try and see who was shaking him. "Theo, wake up."

"Hermione?" He sounded like he had swallowed a bag of rocks, obviously a heavy sleeper.

"I can't sleep." She was visibly shaking, her face paler than normal. He sat up in bed, the sheets pooling in his lap. He used her arm to pull her down closer, her legs crawling up onto the mattress as she curled up under his arm.

"You're trembling like mad." Theo frowned and wrapped both arms around her shoulders, trying to calm her. "What happened?" He felt her shake her head. "You can tell me."

"It was just a nightmare, but I don't want to sleep alone." She pressed her side tighter against his, her fingers digging almost painfully into his skin.

"Ok. It's ok. You can stay here, it's ok." Theo gently patted his hands against her back, chin resting firmly on the top of her head. She let out a few shaky breaths and then withdrew slightly, turning on her side and sliding beneath the sheets. Her cold feet pressed against his legs as she drew the sheets up to her chin. Theo slid down onto his back, one arm behind his head. His mind raced with the possibilities of what could have shaken Hermione like this.

He waited until her breathing slowed down enough for her to be asleep before he rolled onto his side, one arm tucking around her waist as his face was lost in the wild tangle of hair splayed over his pillow.

* * *

_She could feel the thick, warm liquid against the skin of her neck, the small rivulets leaving hot trails down from her wound. She wanted desperately to reach up and press a hand to the bleeding, to see if it would ease the pain. Her hands, however, were chained to the wall above her head, her wrists held limply in heavy metal. Bellatrix had dumped her here, a snarling promise to return burning worse than the cut on her throat._

_ "Granger?" It was a soft voice, but still a recognizable one. Her head flew up from the wall, her eyes searching from behind her hair for the owner of the voice. "Granger, I am…" The metal gate swung open carefully, a pale hand wrapped around the last bar to hold it open._

_ "Come to finish off your aunt's handiwork?" Hermione couldn't help the hateful edge to her words, her anger driving her towards nastiness. Draco Malfoy stopped short in the cell, his face registering shock and confusion. His mouth opened but Hermione beat him to it. "Do you like it?" She turned her head, twisting her neck until she felt the gash on her throat open and bleed again. "Does it make everyone here feel better that the Mudblood bleeds as red as the rest of you?"_

_ "Granger, stop." Draco looked paler, if possible, and Hermione could have sworn he was shaking. _

_ "Stop?" Her laugh was cold and echoed dimly through the cell. "Why? Why should I stop first?" _

_ "Granger, I didn't…If I had…" He was looking everywhere in the dungeon but at her, as if looking directly at her would bring him harm._

_ "If you had known, you would have stopped it?" She spat, climbing clumsily to her feet, the shackles digging into her wrists painfully as she pulled against them. "You could have ended it all by telling the truth! You could have told them who we were! And you didn't! You let them take us and do this to us!"_

_ "I didn't know she-"_

_ "You're pathetic." Hermione snapped, falling back against the wall. Her head was spinning, perhaps she was losing more blood than she realized. Draco finally brought his eyes to her face and his gaze immediately flew to her throat._

_ "Oh, fuck, Granger." He suddenly seemed worried, too worried, and she couldn't help but stiffen as he stepped towards her. "I should…You need to let me heal-"_

_ "Don't you touch me." She growled, closing her eyes against the throbbing in her head. "Don't you dare try to help me now."_

_ "You're going to pass out."_

_ "Why do you care?!" She screamed the words at him and then sucked in a deep breath, her vision blurred and faint. She collapsed, her knees buckling. She could feel the puddle of her own blood that sat on the collar of her shirt, sticky and warm and awful against her skin. _

_There was a cool hand at the joining of her shoulder and neck, careful and soft words whispered near her ear. Hermione turned her head towards the sound, trying to focus on what looked to be a glowing figure before her. _

_ "I'm so sorry."_

_The cool hand rested against her cheek. It was a welcome contrast to the heat that had been pouring from her wound._

_He had the most beautiful eyes when he cried._

* * *

Hermione awoke with a start, her legs jerking wildly and colliding with someone else's.

"What the hell?" A sleep laced grunt startled her even more, her hands clutching the sheets beneath her. "Hermione?"

"It's ok." She rasped out, trying to calm her breathing. Theo's warm hand grabbed her wrist gently, tugging a little bit until she settled back onto her side. She allowed him to envelop her entire frame within his, taking some comfort in the cage of his long arms.

She waited until he fell back to sleep before burying her face in the pillow, allowing tears to slip out quietly as midnight silver eyes haunted the back of her mind once more.

* * *

She could feel smooth fingertips brushing ever so lightly against her scalp, burning a soft rhythm into her head while she slept. She stirred a bit, turning just barely onto her back and cracking one eye. With a groan she threw herself back into the pillow, knowing that her eyes were puffy and red.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Theo teased, leaving a butterfly kiss in the hair near her temple. "We've slept right through lunch."

"It's a Friday." Hermione mumbled into the soft satin pillowcase.

"Well that's wonderful news." His voice bounced into the flesh of her shoulder blades, exposed by the tank top she had worn to bed. She hummed a response and nestled deeper into the warmth of the bed. His forearm flexed tight around her waist, eliciting a smile from her while she closed her eyes. "Stay here all day with me."

"Not all day." She giggled, laughing a little louder when he grunted and pulled her closer. "We have to eat sometime."

"I can think of something I can have to eat without ever having to leave the bed."

"Theo!" Hermione smacked the arm over her waist as a blush crept onto her cheeks. "That's horrible."

"Horribly good, I can promise you that." She felt the smile against her shoulder blades and heard it in his voice.

"You're such a boy." She rolled her eyes and turned onto her back, her head twisting towards his. His hair was sticking up at odd angles like she had never seen before, the bags under his eyes more pronounced in his sleepy state. Theo just grinned and began walking his index and middle fingers up from her stomach towards her chest. She narrowed her eyes at him and swatted his hand away lightly.

"Not at all? Not even a little bit?"

"Theo."

"Fine." He plopped his head down hard on the pillow, pressing his lips into the top of her shoulder. "But you didn't say anything about not trying to convince you." Hermione laughed as he left a trail of little kisses from the top of her shoulder to the side of her neck, her laughter diminishing to a soft sigh when he bit lightly on her earlobe.

"Stop it." Her attempt to get him to quit was halfhearted, the hand she had been using to push him away grabbing around the back of his neck.

"I really don't think you want me to." He managed to get the words out between nibbles on her neck and ear. She merely bit her lip and wriggled on the sheets for response. His hand, which had been wandering aimlessly in circles across her stomach, moved with an initiative up to her throat, the space between his thumb and index finger cradling her ear, snatching her face to his as he captured her mouth in a kiss. Hermione, powerless and drunk on sleep, nearly melted into the mattress but managed to keep a grip on the back of his neck, fingers tangling in a few strands of hair. He took the opportunity to move his hand back down her now writhing body, grabbing the leg farthest from him and flinging it over his side, forcing them closer. His palm slid smoothly down the back of her thigh, his fingers darting underneath the flannel shorts she wore and gripping the soft flesh he discovered. A small whimper escaped her throat.

"Wait." She somehow managed to break from his lips, her voice raspy and uneven. "Just wait."

"Hermione." It was half whine, half command. She kept her eyes closed, bringing her bottom lip into her mouth for a few seconds. "Please." He squeezed the back of her leg to emphasize his point.

"Theo." She could feel the rapid beating of her heart pounding against her ribcage. Delicately, she moved her hand from the back of his neck to the place on his bare chest right above his heart, letting his pulse sear into her palm. He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose then rubbed his nose to hers briefly, flirting with the idea of kissing her lips once more. Hermione was frighteningly aware of how much of him was pressed against her, and how desperately she too was holding onto whatever skin of his she could touch.

* * *

**AN:** Please be kind and leave a review for me...


	8. To Make One Sick

**AN:** So this...well, you'll have to read and find out now, I suppose. I won't be updating again until after the New Year due to my schedule and the limited time I will have with my family. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

* * *

"Nice outfit." Harry quipped when Hermione reentered the Gryffindor Common Room later that afternoon. She froze, blushing, and looked down at her clothes. "Been shopping at the wrong store, I believe."

"Hush." She tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear, shrugging her shoulders as she surveyed the plain white undershirt and baggy blue sweatpants that covered her slim frame. "It was better than wandering around in my-"

"Tank top and shorty shorts?" Harry sniggered, eyeing the pajamas in her hand. She balled her fists and harrumphed haughtily. "Oh my dear, is this your first walk of shame within the confines of Hogwarts?"

"I will not tolerate this from you." She turned smartly on her heel and almost leapt up her flight of stairs. Harry chuckled and went back to reading the Daily Prophet, shaking his head. Hermione closed the door to her bedroom, sinking onto the edge of her bed with a soft wince.

_"Hermione. Please."_

_ "Theo."_

_He had waited for her to make up her mind, and with a firm but still delicate kiss she gave him permission. He had been slow, sweet, almost disgustingly gentle in the way he handled her. His hands, smooth and warm and large, took care to map out every inch of her body as he carefully discarded her clothing. His lips, thick and needy and wet, left a searing trail from the side of her face down her neck, lavishing equal parts kisses and licks and nips across her skin. She had responded in perfect harmony with all the right sighs, moans, and whimpers, her mind fighting a raging war with her body. Her memories flooded her head as her hips rolled gently against his, eliciting a low growl. _

_ "Fuck, you are bloody perfect."_

_Her mind cleared suddenly, a vivid flash of clarity pushing the memories to the corner where they belonged. Her hands made quick work of what little he was still wearing, her fingers then tearing tracks through thick chestnut curls until she could drag his mouth back to hers, trying to impress her need and desire by dancing her tongue across his bottom lip._

_He was pressing against her, just there and so hot and ready, and she let out a soft whimper as she bucked up against him, and together they both swore beneath their breaths as she encased him entirely in slick heat._

_Without warning his hands turned rough, pawing desperately at her skin as he dragged his teeth over her shoulders, trailing marks against her fair skin. It was not painful, but not comfortable either. She responded equally, dragging her fingernails deeply against the skin stretched over his shoulder blades. He hissed below his breath and abandoned her shoulders in favor of her mouth, lips tearing across hers until they let their tongues mix in a ferocious battle. She backed down first, pulling with her teeth at his bottom lip until he dropped his head back suddenly to the place where her neck and shoulders joined._

_ "Fuck, oh, Hermione." She answered him with a soft whimper, her eyes closing as she eagerly ground her hips up and against his, the tension building quickly as their movements quickened, their gasping breaths becoming shorter and shorter. _

_She was surprised when she met her release first, hands flailing almost uselessly against his back as her lower half broke into spasms of pure ecstasy. _

_And when he followed moments later, collapsing on top of her and pressing her body deep into the sheets covered in their sweat, she allowed her mind to open up again to the memories._

* * *

Draco eyed the mussed sheets and bleary eyed roommate as he opened the door, one eyebrow arched almost daintily as he stared at Theo. The dark haired boy was scribbling furiously on parchment, one finger holding his place in a thick tome.

"You seriously cannot be studying after a morning tumble." Draco drawled. Theo laughed without looking up from his work.

"Some of us are able to switch our brains on and off for certain things." Theo took the slap Draco dealt to the back of his head good naturedly.

"Who was it this time? The little Greengrass? She's been pining after you for years now."

"Come off it, you know who it was." Theo rolled his eyes while Draco sank into the plush armchair in the corner. Draco stiffened, his fingers curling hard around the end of the armrests.

"Granger?" For some reason he felt like he was going to be violently sick.

"It's been a couple of months." Theo reasoned, tapping his quill against the edge of the ink pot before resuming his writing.

"Are you…Granger, really?" Draco did not want to ask for verification, but some part of him wished it was a terrible joke. It was the same part of him that wanted to stay, wanted to love, wanted to be different. Theo laughed and set his quill down, running his hands through his hair slowly.

"Yeah." The curly headed boy leaned as far back as possible in his chair, exhaling a long sigh. "Really."

* * *

_ "Please. I…I need you right now." A soft whimper echoed off the cold walls, the sucking sound of lips on bare flesh accompanying the quiet pleas for more. Harsh and fast breathing, the sound of fabric being hastily removed from skin. Gasps of pleasure, elicited from a sharp and quick nibble or nails sticking into skin, moans swallowed by eager tongues that tasted inches upon inches of sweet flesh. _

_ "Don't…stop…" A groan, fingers pressed tightly into pale alabaster skin as thin but muscled hands dug into the backs of feminine thighs, lifting a willing party into the air. A dull smack of skin on the wall, followed by the clang of a belt buckle on the dungeon floor. Fabric ripping and the snap of elastic breaking in two, a delicate pattern falling to the floor. _

_ "Please…please Draco…" A hurried whisper, desperate and eager. The whisper faded to a groan and a sharp intake of breath before both parties let out a sound of absolute satisfaction, her fingers digging deep into his back as he kept one hand on the back of her leg, his body pressing her hard to the wall while he rocked as deep as possible into all of the supple girl before him. He thrust into her with a need that she met eagerly, her hands holding the back of his head in a vice, her shallow and throaty pants bouncing off the chamber walls. It wasn't long before she was clutching too hard at the skin of his back, the small mewls turning into sharp gasps and long moans. His fingers holding onto the wall dug deeper into the stone, scraping skin off his fingertips while his other hand kept her supported easily at the perfect height for him to catch his release._

_With ragged breaths they collapsed into each other, spent and satiated. He lifted a hand to her neck, his fingers gliding ever so gently over the shallow cut that had been put there days before._

_ "Stay." She begged as he began to pull away from her, her hands digging lightly into his shoulders. "Please stay."_

_ "I can't…I…"_

_ "Just this once." The tears started to form on their own, she had no idea where they were coming from or why they were popping up now, of all places. "Stay with me, Draco. Just…just try…try to…please." Her breathing was hollow and raspy, a side effect of the tears and the sex. "Please…I know you…you want to."_

_ "I'm sorry." He left a ghostly kiss on her wound, collected his clothing and was gone before she could catch her breath again._

Draco rocketed up in bed, the sheets sticking to his chest with his cold sweat. His hair was damp against his forehead, his hands clammy as he tried to separate himself from his bed. He wanted to vomit, wanted to hurl until he could do nothing but dry heave in misery. He was shaking, every last fiber of his being trembling with the rude intrusion of his memory. He had tried to push it from his mind, tried to make it go away.

He had tried to make himself believe that he had stayed.

Draco made his way down the hall, stumbling into the bathroom until he crashed into a stall and leaned over the porcelain bowl waiting for him.

With a gut wrenching scream, he let himself be as sick as he felt.

* * *

**AN:** Please be kind and leave me a review to come back to after the holidays...


	9. The Confession

**AN:** I am back after my short little holiday hiatus. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and of course a Happy New Year! I will be delving deeper into the meat and potatoes of Draco and Hermione's relationship soon, but there is one more conflict that I must introduce first...

* * *

"We need to talk."

"Do we?"

"Don't play like you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Is this going to be a one sided conversation?"

"Malfoy." Her voice was solid and steeled against her nerves, her teeth ground together in either anger or frustration. He couldn't tell the difference; her emotions ran too similarly for his liking. Draco gave her one long sweep with his eyes, closing the book he had been immersed in as he matched her gaze.

"Granger."

"We have to settle this." His stomach twisted sickly, the bile churning hot deep within his gut. He could almost taste the acid in the back of his throat again as his mind raced back to the previous night, most of which he spent bent over the toilet. Draco cleared his throat and nodded to the empty chair beside him. "We can't talk here."

"Why not?" He leaned back in his seat. "This is even enough ground."

"Malfoy." This time he could hear the strain in her voice, the desperate plea hiding behind the firmness in her eyes. He sighed and stood, sweeping his arm out in a gesture for her to lead the way. She marched smartly before him, leading him deep into the castle before pacing in front of the wall where he knew the Room of Requirement lay hidden.

Hermione paced carefully but quickly in front of the stone wall, pushing on the iron laced door as it appeared. Draco followed her inside, masking his surprise at the inner décor. It was a quaint room with a small table and two chairs, a loveseat, and a small kitchenette with an already whistling teapot on the burner. She busied herself with fixing two cups of tea, setting them both on the table and waiting for him to join her. He chose instead to lean against the wall by the loveseat, his arms folded across his chest as he feigned interest in tracing the pattern on the carpet with the toe of his shoe.

"Malfoy." It was a long sigh, one that held emotions and thoughts Draco knew would have crushed him. Hermione fidgeted, lacing her fingers around her cup. She inhaled the warm scent of the tea. "What happened….at the Manor…"

"What happened at the Manor was a lapse of judgment and a hormonal hurricane, Granger, and we both know it." He was too quick to snap at her, too quick to let his defenses come up. She raised her head and set her eyes levelly with his. A challenge.

"You know that's not true." She argued lightly, watching as he swallowed thickly and picked at an invisible piece of lint on his sleeve. "Draco, I-"

"Don't." He held up a hand and bored holes into her face with his stare. "Do not pretend we're friends."

"Well then what are we?" Her question was soft, gentle, so, so quiet. He hated it. It made him want to vomit again. Everything soft and quiet and gentle reminded him of her, of the way she had spoken to him, all those nights ago locked away in that forsaken chamber.

"We're nothing." Draco stood upright, shoving his hands into his pockets with a scowl. "Nothing but a memory neither one of us should hold on to any longer."

"But you said that-"

"I know what I said!" He stomped his foot angrily. Damn her. Damn her, and her stupid soft voice. "I know what I said, and I lied." He watched the emotions cascade across her face. Hurt. Anger. Denial. Confusion. Sadness. Anger. She settled on anger and rose to her feet, her cup of tea splashing onto the floor.

"Don't you dare tell me it was a lie." She fumed, one furious finger pointed at him. Draco sneered across the room at her, his eyes narrowed. Maybe if he made himself believe it, then she would. "I know…I know it was the truth."

"How so?" His retort was childish and served only to push her buttons. He watched in amusement as she crossed the room in quick strides, her entire body shaking wildly as she reached up for his collar. So she was going to choke the truth out of him, then?

Her hands closed around the crisp fabric of his shirt, pulling his upper half down to hers as she brought her mouth to his in an angry, pleading, bruising kiss.

He swore in his head, wanting nothing more than to push her away, to shove her across the room and yell at her until she believed him.

But he felt his body melt into hers, arms wrapping around that slim frame so effortlessly it scared him half to death.

And then she was backing up, one hand over her mouth as her eyes clouded with tears.

"Because I feel the way you watch me." Her voice broke dangerously near the end of her confession, the tears finally crossing the barrier of her lower eyelids and raining onto her cheeks.

He had the decency to wait until she left before destroying every piece of furniture in the Room of Requirement. He didn't even feel the sobbing screams leaving his chest until he slumped against the wall, tired and sweating and still as angry as when he had started.

* * *

She was blind, blind with rage and hurt and so much emptiness. One hand held her mouth closed, a feeble attempt at keeping the tears and their accompanying sounds at bay. The other hand was fisted tightly in the fabric of her sweater, her arm wrapped all the way around her front as a form of comfort. Her feet led her back to the Gryffindor tower, her eyes still blind with white hot emotion.

"Merlin, Hermione, what in the bloody hell?" It was Harry, unsurprisingly, who was sitting in the Common Room. She let her hand fall from her mouth, opened her lips, and a horrible wail was let loose. Her knees buckled, her hands clutching at Harry's shoulders as he lowered them both to the floor. She curled up like a small child on her best friend's lap, her head tucked so tightly into the crook of his neck that it was causing Harry physical pain.

"I c-can't…" That one pathetic phrase was all she managed to get out before spinning back into hysterical tears. Harry, perplexed and surprised by the sudden display of powerful emotion, remained silent and kept his arms wrapped as protectively as possible around Hermione.

They stayed that way for several minutes before Hermione got herself back in check. Her mind raced wildly as she tried to figure out the next logical step in this crazy equation she now called her life.

"Are you alright?" Harry finally murmured, one hand rubbing carefully against her back. She nodded.

"I'll be okay. I just…I needed to let some things out, I suppose." She sniffled a couple of times as the last few tears trickled down her face.

"I'll say." Harry couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped him. Hermione allowed herself a weak smile and then glanced around at their position on the floor. Harry laughed. "You were a bit distraught, I figured the floor was the least harmful place I could put us."

"Oh, Harry." Hermione threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry you had to-"

"Hermione Granger if you finish that sentence I will personally strangle you." Harry threatened. He pushed back on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "I will always be here for you. Do you want to talk it over?"

"No." She pushed a few strands of loose hair behind her ear. "No, it's just best if…if I let this go."

"Is it Theo?" Harry asked, concerned. Hermione shook her head.

"No, he's been a darling." She whispered, more to herself than to Harry. She frowned a little and then climbed to her feet. "Actually, I should go see him."

"Are you sure? I could probably Floo down to-"

"No Harry." Hermione smiled. "I need the walk, I think."

* * *

Theo parted with his Herbology text as a soft knock sounded at the door. He swung it open to reveal a somewhat nervous looking Hermione standing before him.

"Well this is a surprise." He smiled widely at her, letting her into the room. She returned his smile with a weak turn of her lips, pressing a cold kiss to his cheek as she passed him. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes." This time her smile was wider, more genuine. He relaxed a little bit. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit lightheaded. I think I spent too long in the library this afternoon."

"You could always come study with me down here." He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her down to sit on his lap as he fell into his chair behind the desk, tapping the Herbology book with one finger. "See, I'm being a good student."

"Yes, but if I were to study here then I highly doubt we would study anything other than the human anatomy." She quipped, ducking her head and turning so the kiss he had intended for her neck missed. Theo sighed and let his forehead fall heavily onto her shoulderblade.

"I've been meaning to ask you something." He mumbled against her shirt. She hummed, waiting for his question. "How in Merlin's beard did you get in here? This is twice now you've gotten in without someone letting you in."

"Oh, you dear little thing, I'm not as innocent as I look." Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You can't whisper to save your life and even if I hadn't heard it from you, I'm sure those little trembling first years would have gladly given the password to me if I asked for it."

"Do I sense something not so nice behind those words?"

"Of course not." Hermione grinned and felt his arm tighten ever so slightly against her waist.

"You would have made a wonderful Slytherin. You, myself, and Draco would have made quite the scheming team."

"Mhmm." She nodded slowly, one hand tracing a pattern on Theo's arm. They remained silent, content with merely sitting together, as Theo read and scribbled notes on parchment.

"You're thinking much too hard." He suddenly spoke. Hermione jumped, clearly startled by the unexpected noise. "What's on your mind?"

"Can I…" She twisted out of his lap, moving instead to the edge of the bed. Her teeth clamped down hard on her lower lip, her hands wringing nervously against her thighs. Theo frowned at her, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"If you don't want to talk about-"

"I think I'm in love with Malfoy."

* * *

**AN: **And that should go over well...please be kind and leave me a review...


	10. Going Back

**AN:** A little bit more behind the scenes of Hermione and Draco. I'm being sent to school for my job starting tomorrow, but hopefully I will still be able to write a little bit here and there and get a few chapters out. The school is two months long, but don't worry, I won't make you all wait that long before I update again!

* * *

Hermione knew if she raked her hands through her hair one more time, she would succeed in pulling out every last strand of the curls. Her brain was on fire, running high speed through the last four hours of her life. After her confrontation with Malfoy in the Room of Requirement, a confrontation which would not have happened if she had merely let herself calm down for one minute, and her talk with Harry, which also could have been avoided if she had calmed down, she had spilled her guts to Theo, who had quickly left the room after her confession.

And now she sat, alone, on the edge of the bed, pulling at her hair until she had made a tiny little hairball in the palm of her hand.

"You've got to be fucking me." Theo had sworn beautifully at her confession, rising to his feet without another word before exiting the room. She wanted to point out the irony in his statement, that yes, they were indeed sleeping together, but her mouth could not open and all she was able to do at that point was gape as he left.

She rolled the sphere of hair in between her thumb and index finger, sighing as she pulled her wand from her pocket and held the tip to the small hairball. It disappeared with a miniscule pop, proceeding the loud bang of the door as it flew open again. Hermione jumped wildly, her heart leaping into the throat as she stared at the sudden source of noise.

"Hermione." Theo exhaled slowly, flexing his hands by his sides as he stepped around the bed to come face to face with her. She stood, almost hesitantly, and waited for him to continue. "If this…" He trailed off, bringing one hand to his face as he smiled a little bit. "If this is a joke, it's really not very funny."

"Theo."

"All you have to say is that it's a good joke, we can laugh about it, and…for fuck's sake please say it's a fucking joke." He looked so lost and desperate that Hermione almost wanted to take her words back, if only to see him relaxed.

"I wish…I wish I could tell you it was." She wrapped her arms around her middle, mentally steeling herself for the conversation she knew was coming. She waited, and the accusations and anger never came. Instead, Theo sank back into the chair at his desk with a soft sigh. "I'm so sorry."

"Do you know how long I've known it was him?" He asked quietly, staring at the floor. Hermione frowned, confused. "You say his name in your sleep. When you came down here, after your bad dream, I watched you after you fell asleep as fucking creepy as that sounds." He chuckled. "At first I thought maybe it was a nightmare, since, you know, he was involved with some of the things that happened at the Manor, but…"

"I didn't really know." She had to bite her lip to keep the threatening tears at bay. "I didn't know how I really felt about him until…until I felt it." She winced as the words came out of her mouth, knowing it was quite possibly the stupidest thing she had ever said in her entire life. "I'm so sorry, I wish I could have told you sooner but it just happened and I never expected to be so hung up on it like this. I just wanted to try and be happy. I just wanted to try and feel again."

"So did I." Theo shook his head, threading his fingers through his hair. Hermione sank onto the edge of the bed, holding her head in her hands.

"I'm so sorry."

"You can't help it." It was the saddest smile she had ever seen, the one that he gave her as he swallowed thickly. "You know?"

"Can't help what?"

"Who you fall for."

* * *

_Malfoy Manor, January 14__th__, 1999_

"We've had her for four days and nothing useful has come out of her." Bellatrix Lestrange hissed angrily as Lucius Malfoy paced the floor of the east wing drawing room. Draco Malfoy stood, hidden, on the other side of the thick wooden door that led into the drawing room, his ears pricked with interest. "I have tortured the girl but she does not give."

"We cannot kill her." Narcissa Malfoy spoke gently from her graceful perch on the armrest of a loveseat, her dark eyes watching her sister. "She is much too valuable."

"If your son had told us the truth-"

"Leave him out of this."

"The Dark Lord will be wanting answers soon, Lucius, you know this." Bellatrix sneered. "Draco cannot rest forever. He has work to do."

"He said to leave Draco out of this." Narcissa snapped. Draco ground his teeth together and carefully took his leave, his silent footsteps leading him away from the drawing room and towards the back of the entrance hall, where the small door leading down to the dungeons lay in wait.

It was much colder downstairs in the dark chambers than it had been earlier in the month. He shivered involuntarily as he neared the last cell on the right, his hands closing around the bars slowly.

"Malfoy." Hermione Granger climbed to her feet, her face pale and her eyes wide as Draco let himself into the cell with her. Her shackles immediately fell loose and she rubbed her wrists with relief. The last time he had been in her cell he had healed the cut on her throat after she had passed out, but she remembered the way his face contorted with tears as he had knelt beside her that day.

"Bellatrix means to return and…and try to get more information from you." He choked the words out. Hermione frowned. Draco paced a tiny strip of the cell, his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he took quick choppy steps. He knew his aunt would be back down in a matter of hours, regardless of what his father said.

"But I know nothing."

"I know." Draco hated that he sounded like a child at the moment. "You have to tell them something. They'll….they'll kill you if you don't."

"Fine." Hermione scowled and rubbed her wrists some more. "That's fine with me. I have nothing to tell them and-" She was rudely cut off by long arms wrapping around her body.

"Please, just tell them something." Draco mumbled the words into the sweater on her shoulder, his hands balled tightly in the woolen fabric that lay against her back. "Please. Anything you think they'll fall for."

"Malfoy, I don't understand."

"Please Hermione." He was shaking like a leaf, holding too tight to her. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry for everything. You were right, I should have just told them, I should have just told the truth. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok." She lifted her hands, unsure of what to do with them, and placed them awkwardly on his back, her front still crushed to his. He kept whispering an apology into her shoulder, his fingers shifting every now and then trying to grab on to more of her sweater, pulling her closer and closer until she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

She allowed him to keep her in this horribly awkward, almost one sided embrace for a few minutes until she could no longer stand it. Hermione took a deep breath, the scent of cinnamon and midnight assaulting her senses.

"What is the matter, Malfoy?" Her words came out muffled by the fact that her face was buried hard against his chest.

"You can't…I can't let you die." He sounded tiny, lost, and yet somehow angry. Hermione snorted.

"You have no control over that."

"I can try. I can…I'll tell them I can talk to you. That I can get you the information. You won't get hurt and…and you can stay alive." Draco was talking faster and faster, his hands still clutching desperately at her back. "I'll come to you every day, and I'll help you think of something, anything that we can tell them. I just can't know that you're dead, I can't let them."

"Why?" She started pushing against him, suddenly wanting to be free and to watch his expression. He let his arms unwind but caught her wrists in his hands, his grip once again too tight. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm sorry, and I don't know what to do, and…" Draco broke off, shaking his head and staring at the floor. "And because you're all I have left to remember of a time when I wasn't scared of my own shadow. You're all that I can hold on to right now."

"You tormented me for seven years." Hermione whispered sadly. "And now you want to help me."

"Yes." Draco hurried on. "I know what it sounds like and I'm so sorry but I can't do this anymore. I just can't. I'm not a murderer, I can't do this." For a moment Hermione could have sworn there were tears building in his eyes and she felt something in her chest tug hard.

The sound of heels on the stone stairs interrupted them, both of their heads whipping towards the noise.

"Please, please tell them anything. Anything you can think of." He squeezed her wrists, hard, too hard, and then dropped them. She backed up to the wall, her arms wrapped tight around her middle. "I'm so sorry. Please, just…just try." He nodded towards the shackles on the floor and she replaced them around her wrists. Draco moved out of the cell, pulling it shut just as Bellatrix made her presence known.

"Bring her out for me, Draco." Bellatrix laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling sickly into the cell. "I think it's time we had another chat."

"Where should I bring her?" Draco asked sullenly, his eyes never once leaving Hermione's.

"The west parlor should do. And then fetch my dagger." Bellatrix sneered down her nose into the cell. "We're going to have a bit of fun, my dear!" The dark haired witch turned on her heel and strode away quickly, a menacing hum following her down the passageway.

* * *

_January 10__th__, 1999_

Hermione woke groggily, her head pounding as she tried to push herself into a sitting position. Her foot nudged something in the darkness, the sound of porcelain scraping on concrete filling the small cell. Her hand reached out, touching the edge of something cold and round. A plate. It had been there for some time, as it was just as cold as the rest of the dungeon. Her fingers searched nimbly on the flat surface, grazing over what could have been a half a piece of bread and a slice of now cold meat.

Draco watched from the darkest shadows of the passage as Hermione slowly began to eat the cold food. He had been waiting hours for her to wake from unconsciousness. His parents and aunt believed him to be upstairs, locked away in his room. He had stayed, however, hidden away in the darkness of the dungeon, keeping a vigilant eye on the girl. He rationalized it by saying that if she started bleeding again, and bled out on the dungeon floor, there was no way his family would survive Voldemort's wrath. His mind, though able to come up with a reasonable excuse, could not push the feeling stirring in his stomach down entirely.

He knew why he had come down to watch her. His sentimental streak had made itself known when Potter, Weasley, and Granger had been dragged into the Manor by the group of Snatchers just hours earlier in the day. He had been forced to try and identify Potter, but whatever Stinging Jinx had hit him was fairly powerful. Draco had stumbled his way through a lie, thankful for his aunt's sudden preoccupation with the sword. He knew damn well it was Potter; Potter was the only person willing to surround himself with Weasleys. After Draco had finished his lie he had gone back to his mother's side, trying to ignore the stare coming from Granger.

But eventually he caved, and he saw the gratitude, pity, and concern laying in those eyes that made the pit of his stomach flip until he wanted to be sick. Even Weasley had given him a surprised glance.

But Granger's eyes…They hadn't changed since Hogwarts.

* * *

**AN: **Please be kind and leave me a review...


	11. Beginnings of Comfort

**AN:** Well...um...this is awkward. I have really no excuse for my prolonged absence, other than work has been an absolute bitch lately. Hopefully you all can forgive me and review? Or at least read this, I call it a peace offering of sorts.

* * *

_January 11__th__, 1999_

"You're awake." Draco whispered quietly, his forehead resting against the cold bars of her cell. He hadn't moved all night, eyes watching her sleep throughout the night after she had finished her meal. Hermione jumped, the iron around her wrists sliding across the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself to try and preserve some warmth.

"Have you been there long?"

"All night."

"Afraid I was going to escape?" She sneered nastily, her face contorted in disgust. Draco sighed and shook his head, one finger running through the cold dust on the floor by his feet. His knees were tucked high into his chest, his cheek resting on his left kneecap. All in all he reminded Hermione of a boy much younger than himself, and the image of a Death Eater was the furthest thing from her mind that she could even attempt to conjure up.

"No." Draco answered sullenly. "I just wanted to see you."

"See how I look locked up and filthy, my dignity cast to the side as my best friends scream for me from the other side of this wall?" Hermione tossed her head towards the south wall, where Draco knew Potter and Weasley were being held. Her words cut him much deeper than he thought they would, and he could barely hold back the grimace that was threatening to surface.

"Yes." He mustered all the malice he could and then rose to his feet suddenly, kicking a plate under the bars to her. "And to bring you table scraps." He turned on his heel and fled the dungeon, willing his feet to carry him faster as the soft sniffles of Hermione's tears began to echo in his ears. He covered them with his hands, kicking open the door that would lead into the front hall of the Manor. He burst out, panting heavily with choked breaths, his throat tight with what he knew would soon become tears of his own. Draco put both hands on the wall in front of himself, sucking in greedy breaths to try and calm his emotions.

* * *

_12:20pm, January 12__th__, 1999_

"Why are you feeding me?" Hermione asked as she slid the now empty plate close to where Draco was sitting on the other side of the bars, his pale hand reaching underneath the metal apparatus to return the porcelain to his side.

"It's common courtesy to feed one's pets, Granger."

"Pet?" She scoffed and grabbed the bars by his face, shaking them angrily. "I'm not your damn pet!"

"You're the one behind the bars, Granger."

"Am I?" Hermione snapped. "Because from where I'm sitting you look imprisoned as well." She said haughtily, folding her arms over her chest with a sharp huff of air. Draco let the smile spread across his face slowly. "Yes, smile, you sadistic bastard. I hope you rot in whatever hell you die."

"That's not nice to say to the person who brings you food."

"If you call this food. Prepared by house elves, consumed by Death Eaters, lovingly given to a Mudblood." She rolled her eyes as the sarcasm dripped from her lips. Draco reached through the bars, gripping her shirt in fist and using it to pull her to him until she was pressed against the border to the cell, her face smashed against the cold metal.

"Don't you dare say that." Draco hissed, shaking her furiously. Hermione turned her head as best she could, glaring at him with hot eyes. "Don't you ever dare to say that in front of me again."

"What, offended that I would have the guts to call you a Death Eater to your face?" She ground the words out as her face was pulled even tighter against the bars.

"You will never say Mudblood in front of me again." He demanded in a whisper, face tight and set with an aged tension that Hermione had never noticed until now.

"You've changed." She said quietly after nearly two minutes of silence. Her face was cold, and her teeth had just started chattering, but she held his gaze for as long as he would hold hers. Finally he let go of her and rose to his feet, taking the plate and leaving in a hushed hurry.

* * *

_6:38pm, January 12__th__, 1999_

Hermione knew he was late when she heard the dungeon doors opening. He had been coming to see her for the past couple of days, and he was always on time for their meetings. This morning she had seen the deadness in his eyes, and she knew he no longer understood nor took in the Death Eater's agenda.

"Malfoy." Hermione greeted him civilly. Draco nodded, his eyes downcast. From what little of them she could see, Hermione knew he had been crying again.

"They're going to attack Hogwarts."

"What?" Hermione felt as if she had been crushed beneath a wave of stones. Draco nodded and entered her cell, her shackles falling to the floor as was customary for their visits. He sat beside her on the floor, his legs sticking straight out in comparison to hers, which were drawn up to her chin.

"They just released the plans tonight. That's why…why I'm late." Draco cleared his throat, his chin wavering unsteadily. "I can't do this anymore."

"You don't have to." Hermione said carefully, putting a gentle hand on his arm. He flinched at first and then relaxed into her touch. His skin was surprisingly warm for someone so pale, as if he had fire running in his veins. "The Order could protect you."

"The Order would turn me in without a second thought."

"If I vouched for you, if I told them that you kept me alive and well, and looked after me…they would help."

"Potter would need more than that." Draco sighed and withdrew his arm from underneath her hand. They sat in silence for a few minutes and finally Hermione spoke.

"When is the attack?"

"Next week." Draco bit his lip tightly, and when he released it Hermione could see the indentations where his teeth had been clamped over the flesh. In this light, in the too dim and musty dungeon, Hermione swore he was almost ethereal. He had always been a good looking boy, with sharp, well-bred bone structure that many people would kill for. She had, once or twice during their school days, wondered if such an attractive person could really be evil. "You're staring, Granger."

"Sorry." She turned her head away and felt the blush forming on her cheeks. She swore inwardly and folded her arms in her lap.

* * *

_7:02am, January 13__th__, 1999_

Draco stepped into the cell quietly as Hermione slept on the stone floor, curled tightly into herself as a way to preserve warmth. He sat beside her, trying not to make any noise that would wake her up. He wanted to just watch her, make sure she was sleeping well, or as well as anyone could in a place this cold. He pulled his wand from his robes and cast a simple Warming Charm on the poor girl, relief flooding his chest as she sighed and uncurled from the fetal position. His hand stowed his wand, and then drifted on its own over to her, his palm lightly landing on her mane of tangled hair. Her eyes flew open, suddenly aware that someone else was with her.

"Malfoy." She scrambled back, away from him, as her heart thudded loudly in her ears. "Why were you touching me?"

"I didn't mean…you just looked very peaceful." He said dully, his eyes averting to the floor. Hermione reached up to touch the same spot of hair that he had, almost as if to check he didn't drop anything in it. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She whispered, shivering again as it got suddenly cold. She narrowed her eyes at him in a question.

"I may have cast a warming spell." He mumbled, feeling her accusing gaze.

"Well." Hermione opened and closed her mouth, unable to come up with anything clever. "Thank you." His head lifted at her words, almost hopefully. His eyes were bright, unlike any other time she had seen them. "I guess you aren't all bad on the inside then."

"I'm trying not to be." He pointed at her shackles and they fell from her wrists. "Are you still cold?"

"A bit." She answered honestly, swallowing her shock when he removed his thick cloak and handed it to her. She buried herself within it, his scent assaulting her nostrils as warmth began spreading around her.

"Better?"

"Much." They again fell into silence, and this time Hermione discovered that it was a comfortable silence that existed between them. She was, however, the first to break it again. "Malfoy, will you let me go?"

"I don't know." He sighed and rested his chin on a kneecap, looking at her carefully. "I want to, but they would know it was me. They would murder Mother." At this announcement he turned his head away, ashamed at the tears that flooded his vision.

"I understand." Hermione replied weakly, torn between being angry at him and feeling an ocean of pity that she had never experienced before.

"I will keep you alive." He said definitively. "I won't let them kill you. I swear."

"Good." She let out a dry bark of laughter. "I'd rather stay alive if I could." They shared a small smile, and Draco thought to himself that when she smiled, she was actually fairly pretty.

"I have to go to breakfast, but I'll bring you food when I'm done." Draco rose to leave and Hermione made to undo the cloak from her shoulders, but he stopped her with a hand on hers. "Keep it for now. I'm the only one who comes down here. No one will know."

Hermione smiled again, this time genuinely, and pulled the cloak tight around her body once more as Draco left the dungeons, occasionally glancing over his shoulder at her.

* * *

_12:51pm, January 13__th__, 1999_

"Granger." Draco called her awake as he opened the cell. She lifted her head from the cloak he had given her earlier, her eyes widening at the plate of food he brought with him. "I stole it from the house elves before they could take it in to lunch. I thought, if it's ok with you, we could have lunch together."

"Well, the dining arrangements aren't the best, but I suppose it'll have to do." Hermione surprised herself by joking, but they both smiled as Draco set the plate between them. He let her pick which bits she wanted to have before he began eating, every now and then their eyes meeting as they ate in relative silence.

"I was tasked with getting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts." Draco said suddenly. Hermione's hand froze as she lifted a slice of apple to her lips. He kept his gaze trained on the now empty plate. "I had to fix a Vanishing Cabinet so they could be transported into the castle."

"In Sixth Year?" Hermione frowned. "That was you?"

"Yes." Draco swallowed thickly and blinked against tears. He had spent more time crying in the last few days than he had ever before in his life. "It's my fault he's dead."

"No, Snape killed him, you-"

"Because I couldn't." Draco interrupted fiercely. "I couldn't kill him. I was stupid, I was so stupid, but the Dark Lord had threatened my mother, and I was supposed to kill him. I knew it, I knew the spell, and all I had to do was say it. But I couldn't. I froze." He inhaled sharply. "He was talking me out of it. I wasn't going to do it, there was no way I could."

"So Snape…" Hermione let her mind fill in the blanks and she leaned back against the stone walls. Draco nodded and buried his face in his hands, shaking bodily. She stared at him, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. He stayed seated, with his head in his hands, trembling. Hermione bit her lip and crawled across the floor, carefully sitting beside him and draping some of the cloak over his shoulders. A tentative arm went over his shoulders as well, and his head flew up from his hands. She withdrew, unsure.

"What are you doing?" A beat of quietness passed as she gathered the confidence she needed to speak of her actions.

"Comforting you."

* * *

**AN:** Please be kind and leave a review, and if you want to leave one just to tell me that you're mad at me for not updating sooner, I'll take those too.


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